Editorial: Camera-shy gubernatorial candidates?

Ted DanielsPublished: September 20, 2006 12:00AM

Usually, politicians love cameras. But the two major party candidates who want to be Ohios next governor seem to have developed a deathly fear of them.
Why else would the campaign staffs of Republican Ken Blackwell and Democrat Ted Strickland attempt to bar still photographers and their cameras during their debate today in a Cleveland television studio?
While its not unusual for rival campaign managers to set restrictive ground rules to remove any unscripted spontaneity out of political debates, the latest ground rules set by the Blackwell and Strickland camps take such foolishness to unprecedented heights.
Reporters and photographers were denied entry to a television studio in Youngstown where the first gubernatorial debate between Blackwell and Strickland took place Sept. 5. Reporters had to watch the debate on TV monitors, which showed each candidate only when speaking and no reactions from the other candidate. The only still photography allowed was a pre-debate handshake picture of the candidates, taken by a pool photographer and released to other media outlets.
The campaigns have agreed to allow credentialed print, radio and TV reporters into the studios of WEWS-TV in Cleveland for todays debate. However, still photography will again be limited to the pre-debate handshake, the campaigns said.
The Columbus bureau of The Associated Press has taken the lead in demanding that still photographers be allowed to shoot todays faceoff.
A letter sent to both campaigns by the AP and signed by 45 editors from 32 Ohio newspapers (including the Times-Gazette) said, Complete coverage of gubernatorial debates is essential to voters evaluating their choice for the Nov. 7 election. There are many nuances some visible, some verbal that have a direct impact upon the outcome of the debate. When reporters and photographers are not present to capture those nuances, the resulting coverage is incomplete and, frankly, inaccurate.
Campaign officials are vague on why they want still photographers banned.
Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey said Monday it was his understanding that the campaigns were concerned that photographers could be a distraction for the candidates.
Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo wouldnt comment on what concerns the Blackwell campaign had about photographers.
Its simply what was agreed to by the two campaigns. We want to abide by that agreement, LoParo said.
Is it because the campaign handlers want to control what the public sees through the limited view of one or two studio cameras? Or is it really the fear that a photographer might capture an honest, spontaneous moment that tells us something important about the candidates? As the old adage says, A picture is worth a thousand words.
These gubernatorial debates are too important to Ohios residents to allow the candidates to essentially censor media coverage.
If they dont have the guts to face cameras while debating their opponents, do they really have the guts necessary to make the tough decisions required by the next governor of Ohio?